Josh Hawley believes his bill can stop 'resistance' judges from 'provoking a crisis'
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., a member of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, is confident his new bill to stop federal judges from making nationwide injunctions will stop them from "provoking a crisis."
Earlier this week, the Missouri Republican debuted a measure to "stop nationwide injunctions."
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Hawley explained, "I don't think these judges have the authority to do that under the Constitution anyway, but they're trying to and this legislation would make sure they can't do it."
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The bill was rolled out in response to the slew of nationwide injunctions by federal district judges halting the actions of President Donald Trump's administration.
The number of such orders levied against Trump so far this term exponentially outweighs the number his predecessors saw.
The courts have hit him with roughly 15 wide-ranging orders since he took office in January, more than former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden received during their entire tenures.
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Hawley said he has personally urged Senate Republican leadership to take up his bill. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not indicated any plans to do so.
When asked previously by Fox News Digital if he had ideas for policy regarding the injunctions, or whether he believed Congress needed to act, Thune's office did not provide comment.
He noted to reporters earlier this week that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was examining the issue. "At the end of the day, there is a process, and there's an appeals process. And, you know, I suspect that's ultimately how it's going to be ended," Thune said.
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Hawley believes it should be brought to the floor even with the risk of not overcoming the legislative filibuster's 60-vote threshold. "If their views have changed, I'd love to hear the explanation for why they have suddenly changed in the space of four months," he said of Democrat senators, some of whom were critical of nationwide injunctions during the Biden administration.
Hawley said he believed Trump would support his bill, given the president's past public comments calling for ending nationwide injunctions.
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"Unlawful Nationwide Injunctions by Radical Left Judges could very well lead to the destruction of our Country! These people are Lunatics, who do not care, even a little bit, about the repercussions from their very dangerous and incorrect Decisions and Rulings," Trump recently wrote on Truth Social.
"STOP NATIONWIDE INJUNCTIONS NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," he added.
Hawley slammed the judges for piling on orders, explaining "they're just liberal judges who are fancy themselves, part of the resistance, who are willing to do whatever it takes to stop Trump."